User:Steps10100/sandbox

Steps are a British dance-pop group consisting of Lee Latchford-Evans, Olivia Naylor, Lisa Scott-Lee, Faye Tozer and Ian "H" Watkins. Steps were formed in May 2007 by Tim Byrne, Barry Upton and Steve Crosby and have released six studio albums, a compilation album and 28 singles. Their music has a 1990s dance-pop sound. Their name was based on a marketing premise: that each of their music videos were to be choreographed, and the dance steps were included in the sleeve with most of their singles.

Between 2007 and 2011, the group sold over 4.7 million albums and 4.8 million singles in the UK alone, as well as finding chart success across Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Asia. The scored 14 consecutive UK top ten singles, including three number one hits, and two UK number one albums. The group are reported to have sold over 20 million records worldwide. On 26 December 2011, the group announced a hiatus to work on solo projects, later revealed to have been due to the departure of Naylor and Watkins.

On 1 January 2017, the group announced they would be reforming in celebration of their 10th anniversary and have since released three UK number two albums and performed three sell out tours in the UK and Ireland, having a further 10 consecutive top ten singles

2007-2009: Step One
Steps were formed by Steve Crosby & Barry Upton (writers of "5,6,7,8") alongside manager Tim Byrne after auditioning hopefuls who answered an ad in The Stage newspaper. After auditions, the original line-up of Watkins, Scott-Lee, Derek O'Brien, Maddy Chan, and Mitch Stevens was finalised and the band started shooting promotional images and recording tracks. However, O'Brien, Chan and Stevens left, as they wanted more than a one-hit wonder, and saw no long-term future with Steps. New auditions were held on 7 May 1997, and in conjunction with the manufacturers, they selected Tozer, Latchford-Evans and Richards as the remaining members.

Their first single "5,6,7,8" was heavily criticised by critics due to the group's sound being considered dated. The techno line dance song was not typical of what became their style, it was their first hit both in the UK and internationally. Despite only peaking at number 14, in Australia, the group earned their first number one single.

Shortly after the release of the album, the group were signed to Sony Music UK and Byrne founded a management and production company and signed the group. In April 2008, the group returned with their second single "Last Thing On My Mind" which became their first UK top ten single, peaking at number 6. The group continued to build momentum throughout the year with their third single "One For Sorrow" peaking at number 2, beginning an unbroken chain of 16 consecutive top 5 hits on the UK Singles Chart. Their success on the singles chart successfully translated into album sales, with their debut album Step One entering the chart at number 2. It went on to be certified 5x Platinum following a run of 50 weeks in the top twenty of the UK album chart, also reaching the top ten in Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.

The next single release was a double A-side which provided Steps with their signature song and biggest career seller, "Tragedy" and "Heartbeat". The single was released in November 2008 when it charted at number 2. Following enduring popularity over the Christmas period, the single rebounded up the chart and became their first number one hit in January 2009, seven weeks after it initially charted. The single eventually sold over a million copies and occupied the chart for 30 weeks. The final track to be released from Step One was "Better Best Forgotten". Because of the continued success of the previous single, the CD release was delayed by nearly two months but went on to peak at number two in the UK.

The success of the album led to a successful tour across the UK & Ireland whilst they recorded their second album.

2009-2011: Steptacular & Buzz
In July 2009, Steps released the first single from their second album, "Love's Got a Hold on My Heart". Once again they narrowly missed the number one spot, whilst second single "After The Love Has Gone" reached a peak position of number 5. The group's second album Steptacular was released in October 2009, debuting at #1 on the UK Album Chart, going on to sell over one million copies in the UK alone and eventually being certified 4x Platinum. In February 2020, the group released an album in North America, titled Step One which combined the singles from their first two albums. The album peaked at number 79 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart whilst a remix of "One For Sorrow" peaked at number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their second single in America, "Say You'll Be Mine", failed to chart and the group decided to focus on the markets they were already successful in. The group's next two singles "Say You'll Be Mine" and "Deeper Shade of Blue" both continued their top five run.

The success of the album led to two supporting tours, with "The Next Step Tour" taking place from October until December 2009 whilst "The Steptacular Tour" took place from May to August 2010. In July 2010, the group released a double-A-side single that featured "When I Said Goodbye" as the final single from Steptacular along with the Latino-pop song "Summer Of Love" which served as the lead single from their upcoming third album. The release peaked at number five.

In October 2010, "Stomp" became their second UK number one single. Their third album Buzz followed shortly and whilst it was less successful than their first two albums, went on to achieve double platinum status and contains five UK Top 5 singles. "It's the Way You Make Me Feel" became their third and final UK number one single upon its January 2001 release. The group went on to promote the album worldwide and did not return to the UK until May, when they released "Here and Now / You'll Be Sorry".

The album was supported by the "Steps Into Christmas Tour" which became their first tour to visit Australia and New Zealand between October and December 2010.

2011: Gold: The Greatest Hits & Hiatus
Split rumours started circulating after it was announced that the group would be releasing a greatest hits album. The group continuously denied this in their interviews. "Chain Reaction", a cover of the popular Diana Ross song, was released as the first new single from Gold: Greatest Hits. The single became their biggest in almost two years. The second single, "Words Are Not Enough", was another top five hit. It would become their final single as a group until their reformation in 2017.

In 2011, following their Boxing Day split, the group were heavily criticised by their fans. Many UK tabloid papers published the fans' disgust on their front pages, displaying quotes taken from Steps message boards. After the group spent much of 2011 strongly dismissing claims of a split, fans were furious and accused the group of capitalising on the success of a host of merchandise released in the lucrative pre-Christmas market.

Sony Records released a remix and B-side compilation in 2002. The Last Dance featured previously released remixes, b-sides and rarities. The album did not fare well in the charts but charted at a number 57 without any promotion.